Analysis of Engineering Design Studies for Demilitarization of Assembled Chemical Weapons at Pueblo Chemical Depot (2001) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
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The committee evaluated the engineering design packages proposed by the technology providers and the associated experimental studies that were performed to validate unproven unit operations. A significant part of the testing program involved expanding the technology base for the hydrolysis of energetic materials associated with assembled weapons.
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In late 1996, however, Congress enacted Public Law 104-201, which instructed DOD to "conduct an assessment of the chemical demilitarization program for destruction of assembled chemical munitions and of the alternative demilitarization technologies and processes (other than incineration) that could be used for the destruction of the lethal chemical agents that are associated with these munitions." Another law, Public Law 104-208, required a new program manager (the Program Manager for Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment)
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· perform an in-depth review of the data, analyses, and results of the EDS tests · assess process component designs, integration issues, and overarching technical issues pertaining to the General Atomics engineering design package for a chemical demilitarization facility design for disposing of both nerve and mustard munitions produce a report for delivery to the PMACWA by September 2001 provided the engineering design package is received by January 2001. DESCRIPTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY PACKAGES The assembled chemical weapons at Pueblo contain only mustard agent and energetic materials.
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The Parsons/Honeywell technology team uses the acronym WHEAT (water hydrolysis of explosives and agent technology) to denote its technology package for the demilitarization of assembled chemical weapons.
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1. Based on the results of the demonstration tests, the engineering design package, and available data, the committee believes that the Parsons/ Honeywell WHEAT technology package can provide an effective and safe means of destruction for the assembled chemical weapons stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot.
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The technology provider proposes to deal with the corrosion problem by inserting into the SCWO reactor a sacrificial titanium liner and shutting down at approximately every 140 hours of operation to open the reactor and replace or reverse the liner.2 In the committee's opinion, the flushing step does not pose an unreasonable operating requirement; however, it considers the need for a liner replacement at six-day intervals to be excessively disruptive and not in keeping with sound principles of effective operation. In the full-scale system, liner replacement will require the following steps: disassemble munitions by using a modified baseline disassembly process for munitions and removal of the agent from the projectile bodies by cryofracture destroy chemical agent HD to a 99.9999 percent DRE by hydrolysis destroy fuzes with the energetics rotary hydrolyzer destroy energetic materials to a 99.999 percent DRE by hydrolysis in 15 weight percent hot caustic solution, provided that the following safeguards are observed: different energetic materials are not processed together precautions are taken to ensure that all emulsified TNT is completely destroyed · provide effective 5X-level decontamination for munition bodies through the use of an electrically heated discharge conveyor readily control the very low volumes of off-gases produced through activated carbon adsorption systems 1.
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As a consequence, a prolonged period of systemization will be necessary for both to resolve integration issues as they arise, even for apparently straightforward unit operations. This finding continues to be valid following development of and testing for the EDS design packages for the General Atomics and Parsons/Honeywell technologies.
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